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San Ramon's new LED streetlights are coming under fire for leaving some residents in the dark.

Some of those lights are brighter than the old lights used by the city, but apparently don't diffuse light as well, leaving a bright ring directly beneath it, but darker just a few steps away.

Karyne Ghantous lives near Monarch Park in the Dougherty Valley. She has no complaints about the larger lights, those on the main roads, which she said "light up like a baseball field."

It's the smaller lights, those installed by Shappell Homes, that are the problem. The energy efficient streetlights were installed in November.

"They're sort of like old fashioned street lights. There are thousands of them," Ghantous said. "They changed the lights last week and they don't light anything. You have to be directly under the bulb."

She said the street she lives on is now so dark, she and her husband have been leaving on the parking lights of one of their cars so they don't get hit.

Ghantous is also worried about break-ins, calling it "an accident waiting to happen."

"There's probably at least a 30 percent reduction in illumination capacity as a result of this and it just makes the street dark and unsafe," she said. "If we have to worry about being raped or about people being injured by people hiding in the bushes, who gives a damn about the savings?"

San Ramon City Councilman Phil O'Loane lives in the area and said he sees a difference.

"It's definitely different. Whether it's better or not -- they're definitely brighter and they use a lot less electricity," O'Loane said. "There's a light in front of my house -- it maybe doesn't throw it out as far."

He said it's hard to tell the difference without a side-by-side comparison.

San Ramon officials are aware of the complaints and are taking steps, according to Karen McNamara, the city's director of public services.

McNamara said staff has been out to the areas where they're received complaints, along with the contractor that installed the LED lights and the light manufacturer.

"We're working right now on reviewing the comments and concerns," she said. "We're working with our lighting consultants, the manufacturer, the industry standards and the concerns expressed by the residents."

She added that city workers are looking at "a plan of action," and that residents who have emailed can expect a response in the next few days.

"It's a large project. It is an expensive project and we're doing our best to implement it in a good way," McNamara said. "As with any project like this, we're trying to do it right."

A recent email from the city to Ghantous promises to increase the wattage at the bulbs by 50 percent. She said she hopes that solves the problem.

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